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International expansion remains a key driver of growth for our business: in 2025 alone, we signed 51 contracts with national and international retail concepts and conducted marketing for around 15,000 m² of space. By way of comparison, 45 deals were concluded in 2023 and 2024 combined.

Successful examples include the continued expansion of UOUOROSE from China, which now has five stores in ECE centers; the growth of the Swedish fashion retailer Lager 157; and the opening of Hatstore’s first ECE site in the Europa Passage in Hamburg. The Spanish jewellery and accessories concept Miramira is also strengthening our international brand diversity with two new stores in Turkey.

These developments demonstrate that a targeted mix of national and international brands enhances the appeal of our centers and contributes to sustainable growth and leasing success.

The Alstertal mall is taking the next logical step in its development: with the erection of the crane, the first major construction phase aimed at the structural reorganisation of the center is set to begin in the coming days. To kick things off, the escalator in front of Galeria on the ground floor will be re-aligned, followed by the raising of the roof on the second floor. Here, a new atrium will be created, providing more natural light and additional space for modern, double-storey shop fronts.

At the same time, the offer of shops in the center is also evolving: Lindt will complement the AEZ’s delicatessen offer with its new opening in late summer. Twinkle has already opened with a new shop concept in the basement, and Alligator followed suit in June, also in a new space. In July, dm and ciao bella will also launch their modernised stores.

At the end of May, Skyline Plaza reached the next milestone in its development: construction work on the new rooftop padel tennis courts began with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony. Under the name “JPadel Skyline” and with the support of JPadel’s owner, Landmarken AG, one of Frankfurt’s most centrally located padel facilities is set to be developed on the center’s roof garden by spring 2027 – including direct access to Gastronomy via a new express elevator. At the same time, the center’s transformation is also progressing: with COOOL!, over 500 m² of new entertainment space was opened at the start of May. Further strategic changes will follow shortly – including a new dm store, the expansion of MANGO and the opening of a New Yorker store covering over 1,200 m² in September.

In total, ownership ECE and Allianz, represented by PIMCO Prime Real Estate, are investing more than 35 million euros in the center’s comprehensive modernisation. Skyline Plaza is thus being systematically developed into an urban lifestyle destination in the Europa-Viertel.

The Polish shopping centre market is undergoing a phase of qualitative consolidation. Rather than new buildings, the focus is on modernising existing sites, optimising letting strategies and strategic tenant mix management. ECE Marketplaces currently manages eight centers in Poland, with around 450,000 m² of rental space and just under 1,500 shops.

The repositioning is proving effective: At the Felicity Lublin mall, footfall rose by an average of 10 per cent following the opening of a new food court and the arrival of Primark. The food and leisure sectors, in particular, are gaining in importance. At the same time, the health, textiles and sports business sectors are becoming increasingly significant within the tenant mix.

At portfolio level, the key figures also showed a positive trend: in 2025, the Polish centers managed by ECE achieved a 6.3 per cent year-on-year increase in turnover, with footfall rising by 0.5 per cent.

The Italian retail property market is currently more dynamic than it has been for a long time, as was evident at MAPIC Italy 2026 in Milan. Driven by growing interest from international investors, this highly fragmented market requires a new, more proactive and partnership-based approach to management.

What is in demand today are not so much traditional services as integrated partnerships that combine expertise, operational strength and market access. This is precisely where ECE comes in, creating added value through close collaboration with investors and retailers, as well as the targeted use of leasing and tenant mix.

The existing portfolio demonstrates that this approach works: at the La Cartiera center in Pompei, the arrival of Primark has resulted in a leasing rate of over 98 per cent, whilst simultaneously creating a clear point of differentiation.

Italy remains an important growth market for ECE, which the company is actively developing further using local expertise.

On the eve of MAPIC Italy, the second ECSP Summit took place in Milan, hosted by the Italian association CNCC. A special moment was the tribute paid to Joanna Fisher for her instrumental contribution to the establishment of the ECSP.

In her opening address, she emphasised that the business sectors can only overcome current and future challenges by working together. The increasing demands – economic, environmental and social – make a strong, united voice in Europe essential.

The ECSP is already making an impact, for example through progress in the area of sustainability (including Article 14 on mobility) and through practical guidelines such as the Green Lease and Security Guidelines. Key topics such as the EPBD and the growing importance of safety in shopping centers were also discussed.

Another focus was on fair competition in the European market. The clear demand: equal rules, equal checks and equal consequences for all market participants.

The key message: the type of industry is omnichannel – but it needs a level playing field. Cooperation and a strong European voice remain crucial. ECE will continue to play an active role in this regard.

Huge turnout for the opening: More than 100 visitors queued outside the shop last week to mark the launch of Cookie Couture at the Thier-Galerie in Dortmund; around 700 customers were recorded throughout the day. With this new concept, the center gains a high-profile tenant which, with its creative products and via social media (more than 33,000 followers on Instagram), specifically targets a young demographic and further strengthens the tenant mix.

The brand combines American cookie culture with French patisserie and German baking craftsmanship – and thus perfectly captures the spirit of the times in urban food concepts. For the Thier-Galerie, leasing this new tenant marks a further step in its consistent alignment with young, trend-conscious target groups – last year, for instance, the young fashion Segment was significantly strengthened by the openings of PULL&BEAR, BERSHKA and Stradivarius.

In the latest EHI Retail Institute Shopping Centre Report 2026, our Director of Leasing Services, Tim Köhler, explains how the transformation of former department store spaces can be successfully achieved in practice – and why shopping centres are particularly well-suited to this. In the ECE portfolio alone, around 80,000 square metres of former department store space has been successfully repositioned in recent years. Developments such as the ‘Food Garden’ at the Main-Taunus-Zentrum demonstrate the impact, with a 15 per cent increase in footfall and a significant rise in turnover following its opening.
At the same time, the tenant mix is being deliberately diversified – in Sulzbach, for instance, by increasing the proportion of catering outlets from 2.5 per cent to around 7 per cent – or supplemented with sought-after brands and concepts. Examples include Decathlon, Peek & Cloppenburg* Düsseldorf and Smyths Toys Superstores at the Franken-Center in Nuremberg. New anchor tenants and concepts are thus creating sustainable, future-proof sites. A clear example of how active asset management and forward-looking leasing planning create real added value. Highly recommended reading!

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The 2026 Property Industry Day has once again highlighted the importance of dialogue between the business sectors, politicians and academia. The clear message is that Germany needs simpler, more decisive and faster regulatory frameworks.

There were few concrete statements from politicians regarding the Building Modernisation Act. This makes the work of the ZIA – in which Maria Hill also plays a key role – all the more important, particularly with regard to MEPS and energy performance certificates. Many of the ZIA’s demands are already reflected in the cabinet draft, for example concerning minimum energy efficiency standards, energy performance certificates, charging infrastructure and primary energy factors.

At the same time, critical issues remain, particularly with regard to regulation and bureaucracy. The type of industry is calling for greater simplicity and trust in market participants.

ECE continues to play an active role in strengthening the perspective of retail property – including at European level, for example within the framework of the ECSP.

The scent of chocolate is in the air – at several sites at once. Over the past year and a half, Lindt & Sprüngli has continued its expansion strategy in the high street retail sector in collaboration with us, launching numerous new stores: Following the successful opening of the new boutique at the PROMENADEN Hauptbahnhof Leipzig, further outlets followed at the Main-Taunus-Zentrum and the Galeria Bałtycka in Gdańsk, before another upgrade to the tenant mix was carried out in April with the new store at the Ernst-August-Galerie in Hanover. The tenant mix has been realized.

The trusting partnership between ECE and Lindt will continue to be strengthened in the future, as the next site is already in the pipeline. Strong brands and attractive retail sites complement each other perfectly when quality, surroundings and target audience align – a collaboration that leaves you wanting more.

At the 15th Retail and Real Estate Summit last Tuesday, ECE Türkiye highlighted the direction in which the business sectors are heading, under the theme ‘Interaction, Change, Transformation’:

Towards an integrated ecosystem in which digitalisation, experience-oriented concepts and data-driven management are the key success factors.

At the event, ECE Türkiye’s Managing Directors, Semet Yolaç Canlıel and Nuri Sapkaci, provided insights into strategic briefs and market dynamics. This perspective was complemented by our CEO, Joanna Fisher, who put the sector’s European development into context, and by economist Devrim Akyıl, who provided valuable insights by examining global trends and macroeconomic factors.

As with our Investors’ Day last April, the focus was on the interaction between all stakeholders. After all, sustainable success arises where investors, retailers and visitors alike benefit.

All in the same boat, looking ahead: the ECE Investors Day 2026 at the Hamburg and Germania Rowing Club demonstrated that, now more than ever, the transformation of retail property hinges on successful collaboration between owners, banks, operators and retailers.

In his inspiring keynote speech, business journalist Horst von Buttlar made it clear right from the start: transformation should not be seen as a loss, but as an opportunity. He noted that Germany possesses strong innovative capacity and numerous areas of growth – the key is to make consistent use of these and to focus more strongly on progress and implementation.

Our CEO, Joanna Fisher, elaborated on this message, noting that whilst consumer behaviour has changed, footfall remains strong and there are resilient opportunities for yield: retail is back – and it will stay that way if the reorientation and innovative transformation of assets are consistently driven forward.

Digitalisation is more crucial than ever to our success. Ingo Fiß and Tobias Pickert demonstrated how we are working even more efficiently and sustainably using new technologies and through close partnerships with companies such as Microsoft and SAP:

- Thanks to modern CRM tools, digitised lease contracts and AI-supported applications, we can now quickly and precisely find the right spaces for the right retailers and realize letting opportunities more swiftly.

- And through the systematic digitalisation of property operations – from meter readings and defects management right through to a comprehensive CAFM system – we can reliably ensure the smooth operation of high-traffic properties and manage complex operational obligations despite varying local regulations.

The bottom line – as demonstrated by the panel discussion featuring Volker Kraft from ECE Real Estate Partners, Sandra Ludwig from JLL and Andreas Pfaff from Berlin Hyp, as well as the concluding remarks by ECE Group CEO Alexander Otto – is clear: retail is constantly evolving. But now more than ever, we need highly professional partners who are all pulling in the same direction!

We would like to thank all participants for the valuable exchange of ideas!

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